"The cruise ship industry is booming worldwide, and this new terminal will help secure our slice of the market by providing a dedicated facility to accommodate larger ships that are unable to dock at Portside," Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said.

Dick said he hopes that the terminal will help put the sunny state capital of Brisbane on the world map as a mega-cruise ship destination, and expects the facility will generate 3.6 billion U.S. dollars in economic value for Queensland over 15 years.

"This is an exciting day as we launch the visuals of the new terminal and wharf and begin the countdown to opening in 2020," Port of Brisbane chief executive Roy Cummins said. ■